Chapter 140 Extra (1)
It's been quite some time since the filming of "360 Trades," but the show is still a hot topic online, with many discussions and even the guests who participated gaining considerable attention.
As for Xu Gui, without a doubt, she is the biggest beneficiary of this program, becoming famous overnight and gaining widespread recognition for her divine predictions.
The shipwreck she found at sea that day was later taken over by government officials. She only took a few gems and donated the rest to the country free of charge. She didn't follow up on what happened afterward.
About a week after the show ended, the fall edition of Fashion magazine finally began to arrive in the hands of buyers.
As the most loyal consumer of the "fashion" brand, Yu Tian buys every issue of the magazine without fail, and this issue was no exception.
She doesn't follow celebrities; aside from those she knows well on TV, she basically doesn't pay attention to stars or internet celebrities.
So when she learned that the model for the fall issue of "fashion" magazine was a celebrity named Xu Gui, she didn't know her, didn't care, and didn't pay any attention to it. After all, as a consumer, all she wanted to see was the design of the new issue of "fashion".
This idea persisted until she received the magazine.
The magazine "fashion" is very well made. Although it costs 55 yuan, which is 10 or 20 yuan more than other magazines, its workmanship is extremely exquisite. Even without looking at the content, just looking at its design and quality makes you feel that the money is well spent.
Therefore, even if people are not interested in the "fashion" brand, many are willing to buy and collect the magazines simply because of their quality.
However, Yu Tian doesn't have a collecting hobby; she values the content of the magazines more.
Upon receiving the magazine, she eagerly opened the package. As soon as she took out the magazine, her first glance fell on the cover, which featured an extremely beautiful picture.
Yes, it's gorgeous.
The theme of this issue of "fashion" is "sea," and the large cover image, reflecting the theme, is a mermaid—a green mermaid with a green fishtail and dark green hair as thick as seaweed.
The mermaid swam towards the water, with a beam of light shining into the sea above her head, and below her was a huge seashell with its shell open, containing a pearl.
The mermaid's clear, bright, emerald-green eyes were staring at the camera. Her face was as white as jade, her lips as red as pearls, and she exuded an extremely strong inhuman aura. She looked both alluring and beautiful, yet extremely dangerous.
Yes, it is dangerous.
When most people photograph mermaids, the focus is on their beauty and ethereal quality. However, Xu Gui, as captured by Mom Bell's lens, exudes a strong sense of inhumanity and the powerful presence unique to predators, as the apex predator in the food chain.
So when you see her, you are both amazed by her beauty and have a sense of dread, as if you are being watched by a predator.
The image was so powerful that Yu Tian couldn't help but shiver as she looked at it, rubbing her arms which were covered in goosebumps.
However, she was also pleasantly surprised – the cover image was so impactful that it made her look forward to the contents of this issue of "fashion".
Yu Tian couldn't wait to flip through this issue of the magazine.
I quickly removed the protective film from the magazine and then sat on the sofa to carefully flip through it.
The brand "fashion" is positioned as young and fashionable, and since the theme of this issue is the ocean, the clothing designs in this issue also have many ocean elements.
Yu Tian really likes the designs of "fashion". Unlike other brands that are deeply immersed in the art of their works but do not consider the practicality at all, the clothes of "fashion" are designed to be normal and look great when worn.
This issue also features eye-catching designs; Yu Tian saw several outfits she liked after watching it.
Of course, what surprised her the most was the models in this issue. The models were a perfect fit for the theme of this issue. She didn't know how Mom Bell took the photos. In every picture, the models' presence did not overshadow the main theme, but rather had a unique charm that complemented the clothes in "fashion".
Therefore, when you get to the back of the magazine and see the other models, you feel a sense of disappointment. It's not that these models performed poorly; in fact, they performed very well. But something just seems to be missing.
When I looked back at it, hmm, it suited my taste.
Yu Tian felt that among all the models in all the issues of "fashion" magazine, her favorite was still this one named Xu Gui.
"Xu Gui..."
She couldn't resist picking up her phone to search for information about the other person online, but as soon as she logged onto Weibo, she discovered that there was already a related trending topic on Weibo.
#Xu Gui, fashion#
#Xu Gui, Sea#
#Xu Gui...#
Yu Tian stared wide-eyed at the several trending topics and couldn't help but wonder: Could this Xu Gui be a big star?
When she randomly clicked on a trending topic, she found that the discussion under the topic was extremely heated. Refreshing the page would bring up countless messages, which she glanced at casually.
[Ahhh! I knew the turtle and the ocean theme were a perfect match! Does anyone remember that amazing picture from before? I thought turtles would be perfect as mermaids! Now it seems Mom Bell thought the same thing as me!]
[This issue of Fashion magazine is indeed excellent; it truly reflects Momo Bell's aesthetic—very sophisticated, and immediately distinguishable from other photographers.]
I feel this issue of the magazine will definitely have a high collectible value; I've seen people already offering 80 yuan for it.
[The finished product is just so beautiful. The clothes are gorgeous, and the person looks great too. It's such a perfect match. Xu Gui is definitely a great fit for the ocean theme.]
Our little turtle is so handsome, fans of its looks are absolutely thrilled!
[I feel that in the realm of inhumanity, Xu Gui is simply far ahead of everyone else. That otherworldly, otherworldly beauty is truly the most fitting I've ever seen.]
...
As someone who doesn't watch variety shows or dramas much, Yu Tian became increasingly curious about the name "Xu Gui" after reading everyone's discussions, so she posted something online:
Is this Xu Gui a famous celebrity?
Within minutes of her asking the question, she received countless replies. Yu Tian saw responses such as: "[She's not a celebrity, but a fortune teller, and a super amazing one at that]", "[Famous, of course she's famous. She gained over 300 million followers in just three months. Who can compare to her?]", and "[Are you also a new fan of our Little Turtle?]"
There were also fans who thought she was a new fan of Xu Gui and enthusiastically pulled her into Xu Gui's fan group. So, in a daze, Yu Tian not only joined Xu Gui's fan group, but also received a warm welcome from countless netizens in the group.
Yu Tian: "..." Ah, although she was indeed very curious about this person named Xu Gui, she really wasn't a fan of his.
but……
After thinking for a moment, Yu Tian typed, "I read 'fashion' magazine, so I'm very curious about Xu Gui. If I want to learn more about her, what are some ways I can do so?"
Then, she got #Several videos you must watch to understand Xu Gui#.
That's right, this so-called must-watch video was edited by the well-known Zhe Ergen, a fan of Xu Gui. The editor's skills are superb, capturing all the highlights of Xu Gui's "Three Hundred and Sixty Trades" live stream. Watching the series of videos is so addictive, it's like binge-watching a drama, a perfect way to enjoy a meal.
To date, the videos edited by the other party have garnered over 100 million views online. Anyone who has watched these videos would find it hard not to become a fan of Xu Gui.
After Yu Tian got the video, she watched it and, after a day and a night, with dark circles under her eyes, successfully became a true fan of Xu Gui.
【Xu Gui is really amazing!】, 【Ahhh, she's so beautiful】... Now, Yu Tian only has these thoughts in her mind about Xu Gui, and she has completely become a true fan of Xu Gui.
After watching the video, she went online and saw that everyone in the group was discussing Xu Guiren's current job.
"...Xiao Gui has already joined the cast of 'All Under Heaven'. I heard that she plays a particularly powerful role, but I don't know exactly what kind of character she is."
"This is Xiaogui's first time acting, right? I'm actually a little worried. What if she doesn't do well? Will she be ridiculed by everyone?"
"I wonder if the crew will allow people to visit the set when Xiao Gui is filming..."
"Hey! I saw that Hunan TV is preparing to edit and broadcast the last episode of '360 Trades'. Then we can watch variety shows again!"
...
Because of the publication of "fashion" magazine, Xu Gui gained a group of fans like Yu Tian. At the same time, various fashion resources flew to her like trailers. However, these fashion resources were of varying quality, and she needed to choose carefully. But these were things that Kuang Ming should worry about. What Xu Gui needed to do was to eat and drink her fill, hone her acting skills, and be happy every day. (Oh, the last sentence was added by her.)
Xu Gui has indeed joined the cast of "All Under Heaven is Bright". The drama has actually been filming for some time, but Xu Gui's role as Si Xuan has very few scenes, so he has only joined the cast now.
The first thing Xu Gui did upon joining the crew was naturally to take her costume fitting photos. Since it was her first time acting, Kuang Ming accompanied her to the set. By the time Xu Gui finished her makeup and costume, the entire crew was already enjoying the coffee and milk tea that Kuang Ming had bought.
Kuang Ming has always been generous in this regard, buying only the best coffee, creating a harmonious atmosphere on set.
Xu Guiyao's character, Si Xuan, is not human, but a phoenix. Therefore, her robe is a fiery red, embroidered with golden phoenix patterns, which is exceptionally beautiful, intricate and exquisite. Her hair is like clouds, with a high bun adorned with hairpins and ornaments. As she moves, the ornaments on her body jingle and tinkle.
If the person wearing the makeup is even slightly weak, the makeup will not be able to hold its own, and the whole makeup will look out of place and strange.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Gui actually pulled off the makeup and styling very well. She looked gorgeous and proud, with a noble and dignified air that made people afraid to look directly at her.
What's even more remarkable is that Xu Gui, dressed like this, doesn't look out of place at all. Her temperament perfectly matches the outfit, and every move she makes gives people the illusion that this is the way she should be dressed.
“The chosen ones of the ancients”.
At that moment, many people present had this sentence flash through their minds.
The director was initially unsure about Xu Gui's portrayal of the character Si Xuan, but upon seeing Xu Gui's attire, that uncertainty completely vanished.
Even if Xu Gui's acting skills are not good and she can't play the role of [Si Xuan] well, just by standing here, her whole body is the essence of the character. As long as the image is right, everything else will be easy to solve.
...
After Xu Gui finished her makeup and styling, she went to take her official photos.
After filming was finished, she sat down to rest, watching the other actors in the crew film and learning from their experience. Now that she was sitting there, she didn't seem as imposing as before, but rather appeared peaceful and approachable, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor.
"...That's real acting!" the staff couldn't help but exclaim.
Kuang Ming looked at Xu Gui with some surprise and said, "You look quite intimidating. It seems that He Yuan's special training for you has been quite effective."
This was Xu Gui's first time acting, and Kuang Ming originally wanted to find her a professional acting teacher. However, he later discovered that He Yuan was better at teaching than those so-called professional teachers, so he entrusted the task to He Yuan.
It was after half a month of training that Xu Guicai officially joined the cast of "All Under Heaven". Before that, Kuang Ming didn't have much confidence in her acting skills, but now he felt at ease.
He Yuan is quite capable.
Kuang Ming asked curiously, "He Yuan, how did you teach you to play the role of Si Xuan?"
Xu Gui was playing on her phone when she heard this. After a moment's thought, she said, "He Yuan asked me if there was anyone around me who had a particularly strong aura, and told me to learn from their aura..."
It's a coincidence, isn't it? The human Xu Gui doesn't have one, but the Xuan Turtle Xu Gui does. The elders of their Xuan Turtle clan, such as the Third Elder, are very authoritative, and the little Xuan Turtles in the clan are all afraid of him. Of course, this includes Xu Gui himself.
Xu Gui just imitated the Third Elder's mannerisms, and it seemed to work quite well.
After hearing this, Kuang Ming suddenly understood and felt somewhat relieved.
For a newcomer like Xu Gui, his performance just now was quite good. The character of Si Xuan had very few scenes and disappeared shortly after appearing on screen, so Xu Gui's acting skills were sufficient.
At least, it won't be ridiculed after it airs.
Just then, Xu Gui's phone rang. He glanced at it and quickly answered, "Hello, He Yuan..."
The person who called was He Yuan. She mainly wanted to inquire about Xu Gui's situation. After all, today was Xu Gui's first time joining the crew, his first time auditioning and filming, so He Yuan couldn't help but be a little worried.
"We just finished the costume fitting and are now filming other people's scenes. My scenes haven't even started yet..." Xu Gui said.
She only has one scene today, and she can go back after filming. According to the crew's schedule, she'll have to stay a while longer.
"How about you over there?" Xu Gui asked her again, "How's it going? Is your filming going smoothly?"
Upon hearing this, He Yuan glanced at the director and the others, and then said, "My scenes are finished. If nothing unexpected happens, I can get paid and leave today."
She is currently in the crew of "The Thief", which is the film directed by He Zhao that she talked to Xu Gui about. At that time, she had two films, one was "The Murderer" in which she played the lead role, and the other was "The Thief" directed by He Zhao.
In "The Thief," she played a minor role with only two lines.
Xu Gui had her choose "The Thief" at the time, saying that she would eventually become the female lead in "The Thief". However, now that her filming is almost finished, the lead role is nowhere to be seen.
He Yuan thought about it, the words rolling around on her lips, but she still didn't say them.
She wondered if Xu Gui might have miscalculated. Although Xu Gui was a diviner, as the saying goes, everyone makes mistakes, and perhaps this was Xu Gui's "miscalculation."
That's true, how could she be so lucky as to be the female lead?
Thinking this, He Yuan felt somewhat disappointed, but she wasn't too emotional. After all, she had only played minor roles for so many years, and this time... it was no different from before.
He Yuan ultimately didn't mention this to Xu Gui, fearing that Xu Gui might have miscalculated and feel guilty. Instead, she talked about what she had seen and heard on set, especially the boxed lunches served on set.
Director He Zhao is a very generous person, and his dramas are never short of investment, so even the boxed lunches are better than those of other production crews, with both vegetables and meat.
The two were chatting when they suddenly heard a gasp from behind He Yuan:
"...Teacher Lin?"
"Help! Teacher Lin has fainted!"
He Yuan subconsciously turned her head and saw that Meng Die, the female lead of the film crew, seemed to have fainted. Her assistant was struggling to support her while shouting to the surroundings.
He Yuan snapped out of her daze, exchanged a few words with Xu Gui, hung up the phone, and rushed off to help.
Meanwhile, Xu Gui looked at the phone that had been hung up and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What's wrong?" Kuang Ming vaguely heard panicked sounds on the other end of the phone and frowned as he asked, "Did something happen to He Yuan?"
Upon hearing his question, Xu Gui looked at him calmly and said, "Don't worry, it's a good thing for He Yuan."
Kuang Ming:?
...
The crew of "The Thief" rushed Meng Die to the hospital, and half an hour later, they received the good news that she was pregnant.
When Meng Die woke up in the hospital room and heard the news that she was pregnant, an expression of extreme joy appeared on her face. She looked down at her belly, which was not yet showing, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"...Meng Die, how are you feeling now? Is there anything else that's bothering you?" Director He walked over and asked her with concern.
Upon hearing this, Meng Die shook her head and said, "I'm fine."
She apologized again, saying, "I'm sorry, Director, because of my situation, you all had to worry. I never expected that I would be pregnant."
Director He waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's alright, your health is the most important thing."
He Yuan knew Meng Die was pregnant, but she didn't think much of it. However, because of this, the scenes involving Meng Die had to be postponed for a few days. After all, as Director He said, health is important.
However, these things had nothing to do with He Yuan, who had already finished her work and left the crew. About a week later, He Yuan suddenly heard that Meng Die had told Director He that she was quitting the role in "The Thief".
Upon hearing this news, He Yuan was somewhat surprised, considering that "The Thief" was a blockbuster film for the Lunar New Year, and Meng Die's withdrawal at this time... However, after thinking about it again, she seemed to understand.
Unlike ordinary people like her, Meng Die has been famous for many years and is a powerful actress who has won many awards. She has countless works and is not lacking in works like "The Thief" in her acting career. But children are different.
He Yuan had heard from others that Meng Die had wanted a child for many years, but due to health reasons, she had been unable to conceive. Now that she was thirty-eight years old, her pregnancy could be considered advanced maternal age.
For Yu Mengdie and her husband, the news of her pregnancy was an extremely pleasant surprise. Given their age, they might only have this one child in their lifetime, so they naturally had to be very careful with the baby in her womb and dared not take any risks.
As "The Thief" is an action comedy, Meng Die, the female lead, has many fight scenes, so after thinking it over, she decided to tell Director He that she wanted to quit the role.
Fortunately, Meng Die joined the crew a month later than others due to other reasons, and she didn't film many scenes. The loss was within an acceptable range, which is probably why Meng Die was able to decisively resign from the role.
Meng Die finally became pregnant after many years. No matter how heartless Director He was, he couldn't refuse her decision to withdraw from the role. However, with Meng Die's withdrawal, the lead role became vacant.
He Yuan's friend said, "I heard that the director and producer are discussing which actress in the industry is suitable for this role..."
Upon hearing this, He Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly remembered the divination Xu Gui had performed for her before.
She said she would be the female lead in "The Thief"... He Yuan's heart pounded like a drum, but she dared not think about it too much, for fear that the greater her expectations, the greater her disappointment would be in the end.
However, even though she tried her best not to fantasize, He Yuan still couldn't avoid being affected by the news.
In the following days, He Yuan had no idea how she got through them. It wasn't until Kuang Ming informed her that the producers of "The Thief" were interested in inviting her to play the female lead that her anxious and fearful heart finally settled down.
*
The sudden change of the female lead in "The Thief" from award-winning actress Meng Die to relatively unknown actress He Yuan has sparked considerable discussion. Surprisingly, while some found the change absurd, the majority remained neutral.
But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem so strange anymore.
Firstly, Meng Die voluntarily withdrew from the role, and her fans all know that this child of hers was hard-won, so they understand her decision to withdraw and therefore have no hostility towards He Yuan.
Secondly, He Yuan previously participated in the show "Acting Competition," where everyone clearly saw her acting skills, so they wouldn't think she was unworthy of her position.
Thirdly, and most importantly, is the guidance of online trolls. This is Kuang Ming's job. Under his deliberate guidance, although there were negative comments about He Yuan online, they were in the minority.
And so, He Yuan successfully became the female lead in "The Thief".
Six months later, after the Lunar New Year, "The Thief" was officially released in theaters as a New Year's film. On its first day, it grossed 800 million yuan, and then it continued to climb every day, with the highest daily box office reaching 1.8 billion yuan. In the end, it grossed 8.5 billion yuan.
No one can deny He Yuan's performance in this film; in fact, her performance surprised everyone who entered the theater.
One film critic commented on He Yuan's acting in the film: "Such a natural performance, an acting skill that seems to come naturally..."
He Yuan won the Best Actress award that year for this drama. After that, He Yuan officially began her reign as the top actress in the film industry. For a long time afterward, He Yuan was the undisputed Best Actress.
For her, "The Thief" was just the beginning.
...
Unlike He Yuan, Xu Gui had some interest in acting, but not much. She did act in some films and TV series, and while her acting skills weren't great, they weren't bad either. Occasionally, she would even have a moment where she performed exceptionally well.
However, despite being an unremarkable fortune teller who hasn't won any awards, Xu Gui's dramas consistently achieve high viewership ratings, with several becoming huge hits. This has led netizens to suspect that Xu Gui consults the oracle before accepting each role, only accepting roles if she predicts the drama will be a success.
As for this question, Xu Gui's answer was naturally affirmative—since she had such a good ability to tell fortunes, why didn't she use it?
However, as a result, as long as Xu Gui participates in a drama, even if the drama is unknown at the beginning, as soon as the news of Xu Gui's participation spreads, the role immediately becomes a hot commodity that stars in the industry are vying to get, which is quite a phenomenon in the entertainment industry.
It's a pity that Xu Gui hasn't acted in many dramas. She only acts in TV series when she's in the mood. Most of the time, she sits in disguise, drags a small stool, and goes to all sorts of unexpected places to set up a fortune-telling stall.
Ironically, the emergence of Xu Gui's "divine calculation" has led to a surge in fortune tellers both online and offline. However, nine out of ten of these fortune tellers are fraudsters, which has ironically increased the police's earnings.
As for the tenth person among these ten, that person is Xu Gui himself.
While Xu Gui was setting up stalls all over the country, lucky netizens would occasionally run into her and have their fortunes told by her, hoping to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune. This made netizens enjoy "encountering" Xu Gui in various places.
However, since it was a chance encounter, it was purely based on luck. This led netizens to regard the chance encounter with Xu Gui as something to be very proud of—and indeed it was enough for them to be proud of. Out of 700 to 800 million fans, only a few of them met Xu Gui. This is a probability of one in 800 million. Who could resist being proud?
Sure enough, someone bumped into Xu Gui again today and excitedly shared it online.
[What a lucky day! I even ran into Xu Gui, who was telling fortunes by the roadside...]
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